£50m Government demonstrator project aiming to upgrade energy efficiency of social housing launched

A £50m Government demonstrator project, aimed at finding the best approach to upgrading the energy efficiency of social housing, has received significant interest from councils across Britain.

The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, announced as part of the Chancellor’s economic stimulus package, will support social landlords in developing new and innovative ways of bringing down the cost of whole house retrofits over the next year.

Of those who have bid, 17 projects will be chosen to receive a share of the £50m, which is match-funded by local councils. It will help upgrade the energy efficiency of 2,000 of the worst-performing social homes – that is, EPC rating D or below.

A further £60m has already been earmarked by Government for the next stage of the project, details of which will be released in due course.

It is the latest step in the Government’s plan to reduce emissions from social homes, 44 per cent of which are believed to be below EPC C in England.

Emissions from domestic properties currently account for around 20 per cent of the UK’s carbon output and is a priority area for the Government to help reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The 17 successful applicants will be announced in the New Year.

Climate Change Minister, Lord Callanan, said: “I’m delighted with the response from councils so far. This innovative pilot will identify new ways of bringing down the cost of retrofitting social housing, delivering warmer and more energy efficient homes that are cheaper to heat and emit fewer carbon emissions.

“The scheme will also boost the supply chain, support thousands of jobs, and help us drive energy efficiency measures that are the best value for money for all types of housing.

“This is part of our wider commitment to invest over £9 billion to increase the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals this Parliament, as we work to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”